limited food menu....

[Ericsmomma]

Do your kids eat a variety of foods? Eric has a very limited menu.
He eat Cherrio's, peanut butter and jelly, mac and cheese,
cookies (of course), mashed potatoes, spaghetti, pizza, and hot dogs. Its very hard to get him to eat veggies(only cukes) or fruit (except applesauce). I think it may be a texture issue, and we are working on that. Also he won't eat any foods that are "mixed up", like meatloaf and mashed potatoes on the same fork. I have started giving him that V8 Fusion, that has a single serving of veggies and fruit in each 8 oz glass. He does like that, along with his Rice milk. He is one skinny boy, only weighing about 39 lbs. (7 years old...43 inches tall).
I might have to get the Jessica Seinfields book on how to cook healthy meals for kids by hiding the "good stuff" in their food.

[lespring]

You may have heard that Jessica Seineld's book is suspiciously similar to the book written by the author of www.thensneakychef.com website, which was an interesting scandal to watch this fall. The last I heard that is a lawsuit pending.

I was on the sneaky Chef website about a year ago. THAT woman has GREAT ideas, and I would be more than happy to give her my money, Sienfeld won't be getting any of it.

[Ericsmomma]

I heard about that. I saw her (Seinfield) book at Sam's club. Does the other lady have a book out too? I'll have to check out the website...thanks for the link.

[wrblack]

Dolly, do you have, or could borrow, Joan Medlen's book?
www.amazon.com/Down-Syndrome-Nutrition-Handbook-Lifestyles/dp/1890627232
The Down Syndrome Nutrition Handbook: A Guide to Promoting Healthy Lifestyles (Topics in Down Syndrome) by Joan E. Guthrie Medlen
We've got a copy around here somewhere, but I've mainly just looked at the photos. Picking out the kids I know, or know about through cyberspace.
I think it might actually have some good ideas and tips for you.
Me, I've got to run back to the grocery store. Got the makin's for Hoppin John yesterday. Thought I had some turnip greens in the freezer, but don't. Catastrophe! Or catastrophe awaits if we don't have greens tomorrow. Charlie will eat my New Year's meal, but he may be the only one. Everyone else around here, especially his mommy, is much pickier than Charlie. He's always been pretty good about eating whatever we gave him. Will make gluten free cornbread and have an easy gluten free New Year's. -- Cheers, Bob

[ALLISA]

I am fortunate that Erin will eat ANYTHING given to her !!

But, like you mentioned....foods can't be mixed...different textures on the same fork don't go over well with her....LOL she'll spit out one and swallow the other !

[Pat]

Dolly, The thing that made me feel good was a friend of mine has a 30 something son who is autistic. She said, "Can you introduce one new food a year?" So don't worry.
John-John won't drink that kind of juice. His first veggies were lettuce & eggplant (parm). Next year we added tomatoes & this year he added onion & peppers (only raw). I like them only cooked & it took me 33 yrs to like themLOL
When I had my first child & she only liked veggies, the doc said, "She has her whole life to learn to eat fruit."
Hope that helps.
Pat

[Chris]

Sarah just started to expand her food choices. ;D I don't know why but she started trying new foods right after she turned six in September. She went from eating no veggies to eating green beans, lettuce, zuchinni, beans, and carrots. She has always loved fruit so I didn't fret over her not eating veggies but I must say I am thrilled that she is giving veggies a try.

Sarah had tons of feeding issues from the time she was a newborn until about a year and a half ago. It is so exciting to have a child who eats like any other kid!

Chris

[laurasnowbird]

We had extreme food issues and major food aversions with Ethan, which stemmed from some sensory issues and oral motor issues. I could write a book about it, believe me.

We've had some expert intervention from Sara Rosenfeld-Johnson and Lori Overland, although I'd say far more from Lori. Ethan is seen at least yearly by Lori, who updates his plan. It's been a lot of work, but over the years we've gone from a kid who would only eat purees (and literally gagged and vomited on things like oatmeal!) to one who eats a wide variety of foods. In the early years, I can remember Sara R-J saying that she thought the Toddler foods, I think they are number 3s, are about the worst things they could have come up with for little kids because the mixed textures are so confusing for children just learning to eat and to chew.

You may have a two-pronged problem...some of it may be sensory, and some of it oral-motor. Lots and lots of kids with DS don't use a rotary chew, they push the food forward with their tongue instead of lateralizing it to the teeth to be chewed properly. We literally had to teach it to Ethan, and now that I know what I'm looking for I see it in the majority of kids (especially younger ones) with DS.

Now Ethan eats lots of foods - fish, chicken, turkey, pork, hamburger, LOTS of different kinds of veggies, and we are now working on fruits. The weird thing is that if you saw him when I am making him try a new food, you would think I was being really mean to him. A few months ago, we decided that he had made sufficient progress with lots of foods, but that now we had to concentrate on fruits. I started with apples, then went to grapes. I'd give him a quarter of a grape, put it in the back of his mouth between his molars, he'd spit it out. I'd put it back in. It would go on for what seemed like forever in the beginning. I'd bribe with all kinds of stuff, so he'd manage to eat three or four grape quarters. Seriously, only one full grape in the beginning. I know it sounds mean, but we are committed to teaching to accept foods that are good for him so he has a varied and healthy diet. We know that even though he is currently a string bean, there is a better than average chance that he will eventually have to be careful with his diet, and he can't do that living on pasta and pizza.

Fast forward about two months, and he literally ASKS for grapes now, and drives me crazy if I run out. We ALWAYS have grapes in the house now, LOL!!! I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. I would not recommend forcing the food issue unless you've had an eval for sensory issues. You can't just push past those, you have to work on them to desensitize them. Once you've accomplished that, you can get pushier with foods. Ethan had both sensory and behavioral issues as it related to food. Not behavioral as in bratty, but as in a learned behavior that was negative. He had multiple bad experiences with solids before we got some intervention for his sensory issues. As a result of those bad experiences, he was afraid of new foods. Now that he can handle the textures, we just have to force the issue of trying new foods.

Sorry to write a novel, but we've had so much experience with this, and honestly, we've had incredible success!!!! We are so proud of Ethan's progress, and it makes it much easier for him to be included in his school when his diet is more like everyone else's. It's a little thing, but it helps. We still have a ways to go.....but I'm confident we'll get there. Ethan won't even CONSIDER eating a sandwich at this point, but I'm sure some day soon he will!!!

[Googsmom aka Jennifer]

I'M NOT MUCH HELP HERE. BROOK EATS PRETTY MUCH WHAT EVER I PUT IN FRONT OF HER NOW DAYS. I GUESS IT USED TO BE HARD W/ HER TREACEAMALASIA (SP?) BUT THAT SEEMS SO LONG AGO NOW. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THX FOR THE COOK BOOK SHOUT OUT. ALWAYS LOOKING TO FIND SOMETHING NEW TO DO AT WORK AND NOW DAYS IT'S BAKING STUFF. IS THERE BAKING STUFF IN IT? OH I'M SURE THERE IS. JUST WANTED TO SAY GOOD LUCK ON YOUR EATING/ FOOD ISSUE. AS YOU SEE HERE, IT DOES GET EASIER

[Chris too]

Good overview & encouragement Laura.

Dolly, I wouldn't "hide" good food inside if Eric doesn't like his food mixed - it might make him more apt to not trust you in trying new foods, and won't teach him to make good choices about what to eat. My 6-y-o son, William, had/has the same sort of issues, but he doesn't have Ds. If you haven't had a good eval done on his eating/chewing or on sensory issues, then do that first. With William we found that his personality would not be swayed by "selling" the foods he didn't want to taste - the more his siblings "sold it" the more he dug in his heels. One of the things that has worked is telling him that he doesn't have to like something to eat it & "it's not that bad" worked wonders. He'd agree to try a new food if he knew that he only needed to give it a chance & it was NOT that bad. He has more than tripled the foods he eats with this method. Veggies are his downfall too. He now eats just about any veggie as long as it can be eaten raw (I think it's a sensory issue with soft, non-bread foods). He will eat a frozen vegetable that has been thawed (a step up), but not before asking for the same thing raw

Hope some of this helps.
Chris too

[CC]

YUP Chris too is a very picky eater always has been but then again so am I and so is Kodi Lee. The only one in our house that will try almost anything to eat is Colin LOLOL

Chris had many gagging issues as a babe and toddler He would put way to much in his mouth and not chew it well enough.

We just always offer him what ever is available over the years and he started trying a few new things along the way

Just this last year he all on his own made a jelly/jam sandwich and eats it like a pro ;D

He use to hate I mean hate cookies or cake, go figure LOL but he now loves them. I will have to admit he doesn't have the best diet in variety but honestly he is being more open as he gets older.

Chris too was always very tiny until just the last 2 years he has grown and put on weight.

CC

[NZ Carolyn]

I've got all sorts of diet scenarios in this house. Emma eats anything going and is quite adventurous with textures and flavours not minding the occasional spicey number. Nicki on the other hand is incredibly fussy. She refuses to eat at anyone elses house if they offer her anything - even if it's the same as she would get at home. One time she spent the weekend at a friends house and virtually ate nothing. She will never refuse McDonalds but that isn't exactly nutritious.

Nicki only eats Nutella sandwiches, toast, 2 minute noodles, maybe bananas and apples but refuses meat or vegetables. I'm not sure if it's sensory or whether she's just incredibly fussy like Claudia. I'm going to start her on a supplement but just have to figure out the safest one for her.

Harrison is like Emma and eats anything in sight. He reckons he watches what he eats, when he's eating it! Claudia is like Nicki with a very limited food menu and refuses to eat meat most of the time but likes fruit and some veges.

I reckon I'm just going to keep on trying to introduce new foods and keep on presenting her with the same menu as we all have here in the hope that one day she'll try something new.

Cheers
Carolyn

[Ericsmomma]

Thanks for all the good advice..
I think I will get a evaluation for sensory and oral motor issues....Lately I've been noticing that he is not chewing some foods...(like mac and cheese )...he will just swallow them. Don't know whats going on there....again, thanks!

[meghans_mom]

oh yes...very limited, picky child...

we told MM that this being a New Year, she would have to try a new food every evening (if there is one on the table)
so far it was home baked apples and cinnamon buns. Not earth shattering, and not that healthy but atleast they were NEW THINGS. and once we got over the fuss, she loved them!

Meghan eats:
canned peaches, applesauce, pizza, nacho chips (w/ or w/out salsa), chicken taquitos, chicken fingers, fries, the occasional cooked carrot, butternut squash soup (of all things),vegetable bisque and tomato soup.
Any kind of pasta, grilled cheese, bagels, pop tarts, cookies, cake, ice cream, ice pops, yogurt, pretzels, crackers, bread & butter, waffles, sometimes pancakes, popcorn, peanut butter sandwiches, jelly on graham crackers...pizza, but she insists on taking off the cheese, cheerios, rice crispies & milk and a few other cereals

She won't eat ANY meat or cold cuts or eggs - except chicken cutlets (if I make them small so they look like nuggets) or nuggets

and I may have left a few foods off that list but not many, and nothing substantial I'm sure...

so i feel your pain...
MM's thing is definitely pickiness not an aversion to textures, etc...and it kills me 'cause she was such a good eater when she was a baby and I DONT KNOW HOW I MESSED IT UP!!!!!!